Presidential Debates

As part of my recent broadcasting classes, I have had discussions with students about the Presidential debates. We are not discussing them from a political viewpoint, but rather from a journalistic and TV production one.

Students are asked to take note of how many cameras are used, set design, lighting, moderator performance, and on-screen text and graphics.

Students so far are not very interested in the myriad of on-screen gadgets (graphics) being used. They are split on whether they like the podium set up or the town hall set up. They don't think very highly of the moderators.

Students are very interested in the amount of time the candidates are using, specifically when they go over the allotted time. They want the moderator to be strict in enforcing the time limit. 

I want students to understand the importance of THE FACTS. They shouldn't be swayed by the commentators or moderator or the "post game" coverage. If confused about something, I want them to do research from a broad scope of sources, and come up with an informed, educated opinion.

More to come on the final debate and election coverage.........

RIP Manny

One of my students passed away today. Emmanuel "Manny" Stewart had Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Manny made my decision to go into the teaching field worth everything. Manny could light up a room. His infectious smile and laugh made everyone around him happy. He loved music, talking about the weather, working on video projects with his boys Mario, Jake, Mike, and Will, and spending lunch time down in the TV control room.
Manny never let his disability interfere with his love of life. When you called his name for attendance he would quickly respond, "here", he was always willing to learn, he was always polite. When he would come down to my area during lunch, he would pull his wheelchair up to a computer and very politely ask me to lift his head so he could sit up. Never a complaint, never disrespectful, always ready to learn.
I am very, very sad tonight.
My deepest sympathy to his family.
RIP Manny, like a streaking meteorite, you shined brightly, but left us all too soon.

The man......

A student of mine could use your prayers tonight. This student is quite ill, but battling like always.
I entered the teaching profession to work with a student like this. Always a smile, always polite, always inquisitive, and always ready to learn.
So when you go to sleep tonight, be thankful for the little things in life. Give your loved ones an extra hug, give the dog an extra treat, and please say a prayer for my student.

Something funny happened on the way.............

Yesterday during my last period I was sitting in my classroom with about half the class. I was discussing school rules with a student, and the discussion turned into a mock trial where I was the prosecutor and she was the defendant. I was trying to make a point about playing by the rules.

The other students' ears perked up and all of a sudden the discussion turned to my long career as a director for the cable network "Court TV". For the next 20 minutes or so, I talked about all the famous trials I had been involved with. Students were mesmerized by this "speech". Questions ranged from how we handled the trials from a technical standpoint to gory details about the crimes. 

You never know when a teaching opportunity pops up. I found it to be one of my most rewarding classes to date. The blending of technical TV talk with real life drama  hopefully will open students minds to the career possibilities that lie before them

Schools In For Summer..........

Day 1 at MHS. Great to see my students.
Lots of great plans for this year.

A Summer Reflection

On this hot, humid and stormy summer day I would like to take a look back at the past school year. My second full year as a teacher has come and gone. It went by so fast that it seems like yesterday students were sitting in the stands rooting on the football team.

Many students who welcomed me on my first day two years ago, graduated in June. They were juniors back then, I remember the helpful advice they gave to the "green" teacher. Now they are moving on and it makes me realize how quickly time goes by. I wish them all much success.

Teaching is very challenging. There are days when students are engaged and in the groove. On other days, not so much. The challenge becomes how do I create the perfect lesson, the perfect environment for learning? I want students to be creative, innovative, and motivated. My passion for this subject matter is well known. After-all, I spent 30 years in the broadcasting business, so being passionate about TV comes easy for me. My first year, I would get frustrated when students didn't have the same enthusiasm for the material as I do. I thought I was doing something wrong. How can these students not LOVE this stuff like I do? I have now adjusted, realizing that some students may like the class but they don't LOVE it, and I'm getting better with that.

One misconception today is that all of these kids are technical geniuses. They may be great on the phone, they may be able to text like a pro, but I have learned that for some of them, that's the extent of their proficiency. My challenge is to show them that there are other ways to express themselves besides Facebook and Twitter. They can use the tools in my class and in the high school to create stories, make some money, and perhaps one day start a career.

The 2012/13 school year is right around the corner. I am expecting big things from all of my students. I hope they are as excited as me. And to the graduates of the class of 2012, I wish you happiness, health and a world filled with love and adventure.

Mr. Butler

RTDNA and Hofstra University study on TV News

http://www.rtnda.org/

Sorry for the long absence from this blog. In September I will have lots of new stories and ideas.

In the mean time, I came across this poll on the RTDNA site. Look for the posts on TV News. Some of the findings were very surprising, but the one really positive thing is the re-emergence of TV News and how it now also deals with online news.